A Moment of Rest
by nicosnowangelo
Summary: As leader of the Crystal Gems, Garnet has to deal with a lot after Rose's death. She deserves some quiet for once.


**Here's another story that was floating around and that I just needed to get down. It's poorly written fluff of Square Mom and her lovely son. I just love their relationship so much. They're adorable! I mean, that's how the story ends up anyway. I am not sure if this story even has a logical flow to it... Anyway, I would really appreciate any feedback whatsoever. All I ask is that you remain respectful. Otherwise, let me know frankly what you think. I apologize for any errors, whether they are grammatical or otherwise. I really appreciate that you've taken the time to read my story. Thank you.**

 **Let's get on with it, shall we?**

"You all right, Sapph?'

The small red gem received a noncommittal grunt in reply. The pair was enjoying a relatively tranquil moment in the burning room, a rare event in the past few years. Keeping the team together and functioning was tiring. About one year ago, it hit Garnet that she had not openly shed a tear since Rose's… death, save for a single sob that escaped at the actual moment of it.

Subsequently, Garnet had worked harder than ever to keep the peace. It wasn't remotely easy; she constantly stretched herself among managing her grief, caring for Steven, - how she adored that little child - and mediating Pearl and Amethyst's quarrels. Back when Rose was here, the two were fine. Rose had persevered and accomplished what Garnet deemed impossible: Pearl and Amethyst had truly begun to get along. As soon as Rose was gone, however, their sorrow got the better of them. All the progress they made was for nought, and their relationship deteriorated.

So when Garnet finally got the chance to be alone, in a sense, with only her thoughts, it was a sweet, if temporary, respite. At the moment, she was un-fused. True, she didn't generally like to split up, for being herself was the most wonderful thing in the whole world. But now was an exception. The past week's mission had been particularly taxing. To retrieve and bubble a corrupted gem at the ice caverns was difficult enough. Amethyst constantly irritating Pearl, and Pearl constantly chastising Amethyst - well, that made it worse. Garnet was sick of it. She just wanted them to shut up, and, frankly, regretted bringing them along. The only signs of frustration they received from her, though, were low hums, and a hand held up to signal for silence. Garnet was glad when they got home.

Even she needed a break sometimes.

That night Ruby and Sapphire needed time away from being Garnet. They embraced warmly upon seeing each other for the first time in centuries. Their hands and lips grazed each other's cheeks, comforting, loving. The night was peaceful. In their hours apart, which felt too long and too short all at once, few words were spoken. Perhaps that was the effect of being Garnet for so long; they became adept at understanding each other without even speaking.

It was too much to hope that the tranquility would last, though. Around nine in the morning, a shrill wail echoed throughout the temple. With some alarm, the two realized it was Steven. The kid had a strong set of pipes. It was rather impressive that his keening could be heard in the usually soundproof temple. Ruby was the first on her feet. Her expression was a mixture of anger and fear - how dare anyone make her little Steven cry? She and Sapphire gave each other a rapid glance. The quieter of the two gave a quick nod, as if affirming that she too was ready to give the cause of Steven's distress a piece of her mind. Despite the worry hanging in the air, Ruby had to grin as she pulled Sapphire close to her. A bright light briefly washed through the room.

When Garnet arrived on the warp pad, she found a familiarly frustrating scene: Pearl and Amethyst were squabbling loudly. Steven's cries were even more grating outside the temple, especially with the the addition of two voices. The commotion came to abrupt halt when Garnet sharply cried out:

"Pearl, Amethyst!"

The two, standing nose-to-nose, an infant Steven in between them, looked up in surprise. Even the baby quieted down at Garnet's authoritative tone.

"Give him here."

They obeyed. Once in Garnet's warm arms, pressed close to her soft chest, Steven hiccuped once, and then sighed contentedly. He put one of her fingers in his mouth, happily sucking away. The tall gem took a moment to marvel at just how tiny he was. Then she turned to Amethyst and Pearl, displeasure written across her face.

"I could hear Steven's cries through the temple. Pearl, what's going on?"

The slender gem crossed her arms and scowled.

"Amethyst" - she hissed for emphasis - "keeps feeding the baby ice cream. I was only warning her-"

"You were squawking", the other snarled. She was ignored.

"-warning here that if she kept it up, she would kill him!"

"Relax, P! If I can live off engine oil, Steven eating cookie cats shouldn't be a problem."

Pearl groaned in exasperation.

"Amethyst! A cookie cat is a not a substitute for a properly nutritional meal! Steven's diet should be diligently monitored and controlled to make sure his body develops properly." As she said this, Amethyst made pantomimes with her fingers, blatantly mocking Pearl.

"Why can you just chill? Those diet books are making you even more uptight than usual."

"Well, I'm sorry you think being careful means being uptight." Her volume was slowly rising. Garnet needed to put an end to this. Steven was beginning to squirm. If they kept this up, he'd be bawling again soon. And after the previous day's mission, Garnet wasn't sure she could handle much more.

"Enough, you two." Her tone was measure, so as to not distress Steven further. "Pearl, ice cream will not kill Steven."

Amethyst stuck out her tongue, but Garnet wasn't finished.

"However, you are right. Steven should not just be eating ice cream." It was Pearl's turn to gloat. She flashed a haughty smirk in Amethyst's direction.

"The books don't lie, Amethyst", she half-sung.

Garnet decided these two needed to get out of the house. Now. This was the most ridiculous argument they'd had, and it was driving her mad.

"Why don't you ask Greg what Steven should eat?"

Both Amethyst and Pearl looked at her, somewhat shocked and confused.

"Excuse me?" Pearl exclaimed.

"I know you've been reading a lot, and that means you care. But have you considered asking an actual human what a human needs?"

Amethyst cackled.

"Yeah, Pearl. This'll be just like your research!" Her tone on the last word was particularly scathing.

"You're going with her."

Amethyst and Pearl both began to protest, but Garnet's firm words silenced them.

"You both need to learn to get along. Steven can't grow up listening to you bicker all the time." Perhaps this was harsh. It certainly wasn't how Rose would deal with the dilemma. But Garnet had had enough. Sweetness would not rectify the situation. She may have been patient, but she was not one for flowery speeches, and she recognized that tough love was necessary.

"Fine", Pearl conceded at last. Garnet stared pointedly at Amethyst, who rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"Whatevs", she muttered.

Still glaring at each other, the two silently marched out the screen door.

Finally. Some peace.

Steven whimpered, sounding like a sad kitten. He was intelligent. While he could not understand all the words spoken, he clearly had picked up on the sour mood. Garnet gazed down, a reassuring smile forming on her lips. Her hand was thoroughly soaked in baby drool. Steven really must have felt dismayed at his guardians' disagreement, though he had no way of understanding what it was about.

Garnet settled on the couch she and the others gems had temporarily chosen while the construction of the house was being completed. As she made herself comfortable, she murmured soothingly to the baby. She was truly worried about how Pearl and Amethyst's struggles were beginning to affect Steven. She knew that she at least had to be a source of comfort and stability for him.

Thankfully, he began to relax. His eyes lit up and he smiled.

"Ga-neh, Ga-neh", he babbled. His little voice, trying so earnestly to pronounce her name, made her figurative heart melt. Tiny hands reached up, gesturing towards her glasses.

Ah.

He had done this before. Garnet chuckled, which made Steven's smile widen.

"They might be a little big for you". Nevertheless, she removed them from her eyes and handed them to him. He giggled in delight.

He thought Garnet very silly to give her glasses to him so readily. He wasn't really planning on wearing them. Instead, he grasped them in his mouth, chewing fiercely. Garnet grunted in surprise, and he cooed in satisfaction. He had managed to trick Garnet, someone he knew was rarely surprised by anything. As he gradually realized his triumph, he began to babble again. With the glasses between his lips, Garnet's name came out as: "Gneh… Gnen… hneg".

Garnet's lips parted ever so slightly, and she gently touched Steven's nose with a clean finger.

"You think you're clever, don't you?" she growled playfully.

Steven knew that tone. Garnet was mad. Well, no she wasn't, not really. He didn't have the words to describe it, but he knew it was a sort of pretend mad. She was just playing. He wondered what would come next. Maybe she would shower him with kisses until he was shrieking with joy. Or maybe she should would tickle his belly until he nearly peed. Something was going to happen, and his entire body quivered in anticipation. All of a sudden, her eyes shut tight.

He froze. This was new. Curiously, questioningly, he squeaked out her name once more. A few silent moments passed.

Just when he could no longer stand the suspense, her eyes - including her third one, which was usually closed - popped open. In a voice like a stage whisper, she breathed: "Boo!"

Steven was so startled he dropped the glasses, which vanished as they hit the floor. Garnet grew worried. Had she gone too far? Had she broken him? Was it even possible to break a human baby?

Her fears were assuaged when he clapped his hands and squealed. This new game was the best one yet! He could barely contain his laughter. Garnet couldn't help herself; she smiled wide like she had never smiled before. Her eyes, all three, were so bright, it was as if miniature suns danced in them. Though he didn't consciously recognize it, the chubby child felt the love radiating from those suns, and, indeed, Garnet's entire body.

The gem could not resist the urge to kiss the infant, which only made his giggles grow louder. When her lips lifted from his rosy cheeks, he pulled himself up with all the strength he could muster. Clutching on to her chest for support, he planted the gentlest of kisses on her chin. Her body grew warm. It was such a simple gesture, and he clearly needed to put in a strenuous effort to achieve it, but the love behind it was so genuine. She adored this small child so much that she could not, despite her future vision, imagine a world without him. Laughing heartily - the sound was such a delight to Steven - she squeezed him tight. She knew, just as she had known when she held him for the very first time, that she could let no harm come to him. Never, for as long as she and the other Crystal Gems were around.


End file.
